Oklahoma Highway Patrol reports 106% increase in pursuits over the last five years

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says pursuits have gone up 106% in the last five years.

Other law enforcement agencies say they are seeing the same increase in their communities.

Rogers County Sheriff Scott Walton says it's important to know when to end a pursuit, but he says some pursuits have to happen because he says criminals need to know they can't get away with their crimes.

A recent pursuit 

Owasso police were involved in a pursuit Thursday night with a woman who investigators said stole a U-Haul van and crashed into a fence in Tulsa.

"We just--we heard some news that OHP put out today about the number of pursuits have been going up this year. And then this is just one more example of it, where somebody is high on fentanyl, doesn't want to stop. Luckily, she ended up wiping out and just wiping herself out, Nobody else," said Lieutenant Nick Boatman, Owasso Police Department.

A tragic ending

News On 6 covered at least three police pursuits in the last year where people died. 

One was in Rogers County, where deputies say a 17-year-old was driving his second vehicle, and the teenager drove into another car, killing an innocent woman.

Deputies tried to stop the driver before the crash.

"For law enforcement, administration, it's the toughest balance of everything. But, you know, I mean, I don't want to be part of somebody that pulls the teeth completely out of the dog, you've got to administer," said Walton. 

Deciding to pursue 

Sheriff Walton says there is a lot of thought that goes into whether or not law enforcement should pursue a suspect.

"Might see that we have no known facts that this guy is, you know, has really showed a propensity to violence," said Walton.

A need for harsher policies

Walton says he hopes pursuits will start to decline, but he believes that until policies change, he doesn't see that happening.

"There's a lot less of a proactive approach to it...it's administrators, it's electees behind that that are scared to man up and do what needs to be done right here."

OHP says if you start a pursuit, they will end it, so it's best not to run from troopers or any law enforcement.